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Mayor Alvin Brown has signed legislation setting his government reform plan officially into motion.

“This is about taxpayers and our future as a city,” said the mayor. “By streamlining city government, we are building a more sturdy foundation for Jacksonville to target economic development and take this city to the next level.”

City Council approved the bill, 2011-0732, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, by an overwhelming vote of 16-1. This marks phase one of the mayor’s reform plan. In the second phase, the mayor will work closely with department heads to examine the new structure of government for maximum savings and efficiency measures.

Mayor Brown introduced the legislation in November as a major step toward saving taxpayer money and reorganizing the city’s workforce to deliver public services more effectively and efficiently. Target savings range from 10 to 15 percent of the city’s General Fund. These will come from a variety of areas such as energy costs, better fleet management and employee health care costs.

The plan concentrates heavily on jobs by making those charged with economic development report directly to the mayor. The emerging structure of government uses innovative measures such as the new Office of Public-Private Partnership to work with philanthropists and community leaders to gather funding for public events and educational initiatives. Other highlights include elevating military affairs to a cabinet position, so the region’s veterans and active service personnel will have a direct line into the Mayor’s Office on policy matters. There will also be a concentrated effort to attract more major sporting events to Jacksonville. And the plan will aim to build a better parks system for thousands of people who enjoy one of the largest urban parks systems in the United States.

For more information about the reform plan, visit the mayor’s reform plan page: www.coj.net/Mayor/Reform-Plan.aspx.

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